The Brookhaven leader., 1887-04-14
A YEARS WORK OF THE BROOK
HAVEN w. G. T. ".
A SKETCH READ BY MISS ADDIE v. MAR
SHALL Al THE SECOND ASSINEHsAET
OF THE UNION, MARCH 81, loS3.

years work l Shrank nom tue stu
peudous task, not that ! felt We have
done 50 much but that could tell 1t all
in five minutes, but felt that our efforts
have been crowned with such glorious
results my peu must needs fall far short OF
justice t0 them. Comparing these results
with our weak efforts we are over
whelmed with the thought of what they
might have been, had we come up to the
full measure of our privileges and op
pOrtunIties for accomplishing good in the
cause of temperance.
! We have this fact is encourage US at
the outset. One year ago when we
celebrated our first anniversary We deem
ed it necessary to introduce ourselves to
/ the audience; now We believe that
ceremony to be entirely unnecessary as
VIC think (call in cOnceit If you wild we
are known not only 10 the people of
| BroOklIaven, but to tue people of Lin
1 coin county and even further from home.
We will try to show what we have
done by showing how near We have
come toward accomplishing he object Of
of our Union.
This object if fourfold. First. t"
educate public sentiment up to the stan
dard of total abstinence; second, to
train the young; third, to save the
inebriate; fourth, to secure the legal
prohibition of the liquor tratfic.-
First and most important of all, since all
depends upon that, we have held "a meet
ing on every Thursday afternoon during
the past twelve months with very few
exceptions, Providence having blessed us
with circumstances favorable for holding
our meetings. BY thus meeting and
taking counsel together, our hearts
have been strengthened in bonds of
christian love. "Blcst be the tie that
binds our hearts in christian love-
is our Union song and We feel the
blrssedness of that tie more and more
each time we meet together.
We have increased our membership
from 10 to %; very small numerical
increase it is true, but we believe orr
working force has almost doubled itself
during the year just passed.
That public sentiment has in this
community increased in favor of temper
ance during the past twelve months, no
one will deny. We believe that the
w. C. T. L. has been an important
factor towards educating this public
sentiment and this we say without boast
ing, since we believe that God has
given this blessing in answer to our
united prayers.
One year ago We had no Band of
Hope. We only had the hope CT organizing
baud of Juvenile temperance workers
rs helpers to the w. c. L. u. That the
hope has been realized you have the
evidence before you this evening. 1t ls
true We have not accomplished much
in this department of our work because
our resources have been limited, not
having had funds sufficient for pro
curing proper literature for the instruc-
ton of the young people. Notwithstand-
people themselves have manifested an
intcrst in the cause which proves to us
they are indeed the hope of our country.
If we instill into these Young hearts the
principles Of temperance we insure the
future prosperity of our country, for the
principles of Prosperity lie III the principles
of temueraucr and SObrirtV.
We trust we haze sown some good seed
in these tender hearts during the past
year which shall spring up and yield an
hundred fold. At the same time We have
derived benefit from this work, for these
little folks have been cO-workers with us
in the cause inspiring us with zeal and
hone. Let us not fail to do our whole
duty in this promising field, remember
ing, that if we plant and water, God will
give the increase.
Now we turn from the hope-inspiring
field of labor to the one seemingly
hopeless-viewed from Il human stand
point-to save the inebriate! Have We
accomplished any things i'll this impor-
tant tield2 We can not tell, but this We
know, however: This object which &C
cupies the. third place i'll order III the third
| article of our constitution is the one
nearest and dearest to our hearts; for it
our tears have fallen, for it our daily
prayers have assembled, and we look to
God for the results with faith that
will take no denial.
The fourth and last to secure the
legal prohibition of the liquor traffic is
the pivot upon which all the Others turn
since without the accomplishing of this,
labor toward securing Others would be
almost vain.
To show you what steps the W. c. 1 L
have taken towards accomplishing tins
object we refer you to the six weeks oil
two months preceding the 10th day o
last August day long to be remember
ed, aye, never to be forgotten by
MANY of the women of the w. G. t. U
Will those tender cords of christian love
which around our hearts were spun as W.
met day after day and mingled GU
tears and prayers ever be brokenf No
They have bound us together in strenti
of purpose, purpose in which We vii
not falter and for the Accomplishment
of which We find no obstacle too great Il
be overcome if it stands in the way of on
driving the demon of intemperance from